First Ariane 5 Launch Of
2022 is a Success, Supporting Two Loyal Clients Of
Arianespace: Measat (Malaysia) and NSIL (India)
The Ariane 5, operated by
Arianespace, has successfully placed two
telecommunications
satellites into geostationary orbit: MEASAT-3d for
the Malaysian operator MEASAT, and GSAT-24 built by
the Indian Space Agency ISRO on behalf of NSIL.
Carrying out its first
mission of the year, and the 113th overall, Ariane 5
once again demonstrates its exceptional reliability.
Mission VA257 will improve
broadband coverage in the Asia-Pacific region and
represents another commercial success for Ariane 5
in the Asia-Pacific market.
On Wednesday, June 22, 2022 at
06:50 pm local time, an Ariane 5 launcher lifted off
from the Guiana Space Center, Europe’s Spaceport in
Kourou, French Guiana (South America), successfully
orbiting two geostationary telecommunication
satellites, MEASAT-3d and GSAT-24.
“With this Ariane 5 mission,
Arianespace is honored to support the ambitions of
two k ey actors in the Asia-Pacific region: MEASAT,
the leading Malaysian satellite operator and
NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), a Government of India
company within the Department of Space (DOS) acting
in concert with the Indian Space Agency ISRO. With
the orbiting of both MEASAT-3d, the fourth satellite
that we’ve launched for the benefit of Malaysia, and
GSAT-24, the 25th Indian satellite we’ve delivered
for them, we are affirming our long term partnership
with these two great actors,” declared Stéphane
Israël, CEO of Arianespace.
MEASAT-3d, to be co-located
with MEASAT-3a and MEASAT-3b in the 91.5°E orbital
slot, is a multi-mission telecommunications
satellite built by Airbus Defence and Space. It will
significantly enhance broadband speeds of up to 100
Mbps per user in areas with limited or no
terrestrial network throughout Malaysia, while
continuing to provide redundancy and additional
capacity for video distribution in HD, 4K, and
ultimately 8K in the Asia-Pacific region.
MEASAT-3d will also carry an
extremely innovative payload on behalf of the Korean
operator KTSAT. Conceived by Airbus Defense and
Space, it will be used by the Korean Augmentation
System (KASS), a project of the Ministry of Land,
Infrastructure and Transport led by KARI, the Korean
Space Agency, to significantly improve air traffic
control in South Korea.
GSAT-24 is a Ku-band 4-ton
class communications satellite built by the Indian
Space Research Organization (ISRO) for NewSpace
India Limited (NSIL) that will provide high-quality
television, telecommunications and broadcasting
services across India. It will be the first “Demand
Driven”
communications satellite mission undertaken by NSIL.
“After the successful launch of
the James Webb Space Telescope, this new achievement
helps Ariane 5 write a new chapter in space
history”, said André-Hubert Roussel, CEO of
ArianeGroup.
“Ariane 5 demonstrates its
reliability once again, justifying the trust of
Arianespace’s customers worldwide. Its successes are
tied to Ariane 6, which benefits from the same
reliability along with increased competitiveness and
versatility.”
The Ariane 5 heavy-lift
launcher is an ESA program carried out in
cooperation between public institutions and industry
across 12 European partner states.
ArianeGroup is the lead
contractor for the development and production of
Ariane 5, and is
responsible for campaign operations and preparation
of the launch vehicle up to lift-off. ArianGroup
hands over a “ready to fly” rocket to its subsidiary
Arianespace, which sells the Ariane 5 and operates
it from the Guiana Space Center in French Guiana.
During launch campaigns, Arianespace works closely
with CNES, who is the design authority for the
Ariane 5 and controls the satellite preparation
facilities at the CSG.
After this launch, four Ariane
5 vehicles remain before the Ariane 6 takes up the
baton, supporting
Europe’s institutional missions, while meeting the
growing needs of the commercial market.
|